Patient handling apparatus



Sept. 30, 1969 e. H. WOODWARD PATIENT HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21. 1967 "mmu INVENTOR. A 650265 Mam 420 A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,469,880 PATIENT HANDLING APPARATUS George H. Woodward, 11223 103rd Ave, Sun City, Ariz. 85351 Filed Dec. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 692,605 Int. Cl. B6011 1/12 US. Cl. 2961 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A patient handling platform seat demountably insertable between the end of an automobile seat and the vehicle body door column to provide an outward extension of the seat surface out over the door sill to facilitate moving the patient between a wheel chair and the automobile seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of this invention lies in apparatus to assist in the manipulation and movement of handicapped persons and is particularly directed to apparatus for moving a patient between a wheel chair and an automobile seat.

Heretofore, it has been difiicult to move a handicapped person into and out of an automobile because of the gap across the door sill between end of the vehicle seat and the wheel chair seat or other surface or standing position from which the patient is to be moved to and from the vehicle seat. Various crane devices, loose use boards resting at the ends on the vehicle seat and wheel chair seat have been used, but this has been found cumbersome and unsafe in actual use, not to mention the difficulties of storing the apparatus when not in use. Further, complex transfer tracks and sliding seats, in some instances forming part of the wheel chair have proved to costly and diflicult, particularly by the patient This invention pertains to a device to facilitate the manipulation of a handicapped person on to and off of the seat of a motor vehicle comprising an auxiliary seat platform arranged to be demountably supported on the vehicle body floor between the end of the vehicle seat and the inside of the door column of the vehicle body with the seat platform at the vehicle seat height and extending outwardly over and beyond the door sill with the vehicle door open.

Another object is to provide a portable rigid seat platform extending out over the vehicle body door sill to facilitate the manipulation of a patient, by himself or with assistance of another person, into and out of an automobile.

It is a further object to provide the above patient manipulation device which is simple, reliable and sturdy in construction andwithout any moving parts during the use of the device in manipulating the patient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the patient handling device installed in operative position on a motor vehicle.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a right hand side elevation of the device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front end elevation of the device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As an example of one embodiment of this invention there is shown a patient handling apparatus for an autoice mobile comprising a seat platform 10 arranged to be demountably positioned in horizontal alignment with the seat surface 11 of an automobile seat 12 and extending outwardly from the side 13 of the seat 12 across and over the door sill 14 of the vehicle body 15 to a position in horizontal alignment with the seat 16 of a wheel chair 17 or other patient supporting and conveying device. The seat platform 10 of the device is provided with a downwardly extending vertical support member 18 having an inside surface 19 arranged to engage and be supported by the side 13 of the vehicle seat 12. The bottom edge 20 of the support member 18 rests on and. is vertically supported on the floor 21 of the vehicle body. A suitable bracket 22 may be utilized to secure the seat platform to the support member 18.

The support member 18 has a tail piece extending rearwardly of the seat platform 10 and] terminating in a rear edge 23 adjacent to which edge :23 and top edge 24 is mounted a filler abutment block 25 arranged to engage the inside face 26 of the door column 27 of the vehicle body 15 to thereby provide rigid! yet demountable support for the seat platform 10.

By placing the device between the seat and the body column, as shown in FIG. 1, a continuous seat surface is provided by the wheel chair seat 16, seat platform 10 of the device, and vehicle seat 12 over which the patient can easily and safely manipulate himself or be readily assisted in this patient handling operation.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatus is capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement and commercial adaptation as fall within the :scope of the ap pendent claims are intended to be included herein.

I claim:

1. A handling apparatus for loading and unloading a patient relative to a vehicle seat having a horizontal seat surface and vertical side surface within the vehicle body having a door sill and a door column comprising in combination:

(a) a seat platform arranged to be positioned adjacent to the side of and in horizontal alignment with the vehicle seat surface and extending laterally out over the vehicle door sill,

(b) a downwardly extending vertical support member for said seat platform having an inside surface arranged to engage and be vertically supported by the side of the vehicle seat,

(c) and an abutment surface on said vertical support member arranged to engage the inside surface of the vehicle body door column to demountably secure said patient handling apparatus in operative position.

2. A patient handling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said abutment surface in item (c) comprises a tail piece on said vertical support member extending rearwardly of said seat platform terminating at a rear edge, and a filler abutment block fixed to said tail piece adjacent said rear edge arranged to engage said inside face of said vehicle door column.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,789 l/1917 Freedman 295-67 2,792,951 5/1957 White 297-2l7 PHILIP GOODMAN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

